LeBron James has been in the league for almost two decades now. There haven’t been many players who can say the same. James seems to stay at the top even after moving multiple teams. He has won the title with every NBA team he has played for. In addition to that, he holds the most championships won (4) among active players. Steph Curry tied with him after winning a ring with the Golden State Warriors this year.
The King moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. Since then, he has endured a rollercoaster ride with the franchise. Despite winning the title in 2020, it has not been all that great for the Lakers. LeBron’s team missed the playoffs for the second time in a row last season. The past couple of years has truly damaged James’ legacy as a Laker great if he is one. Or at least that’s what Richard Jefferson thinks.
It all started at former Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal’s tweet. He said, “Might have to kick myself off this list right here”. He replied to an image of all the Lakers greats, featuring LeBron, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Might have to kick myself off this list right here pic.twitter.com/yEoYKmbTmG
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) July 19, 2022
On the latest episode of the Road Trippin’ podcast, the former NBA player took a shot at LeBron. He said, “LeBron James has not done enough as a Laker to be on that list…Bron been there now, this is his fourth season, right? They’ve been in there four seasons. Two years, they haven’t made the postseason. One year, they lost in the first round. And one year, they won a championship.”
Richard Jefferson issues clarification on his LeBron James criticism
Jefferson received hate from LeBron fans for his comments. Not many will criticize a GOAT openly. He later clarified on Twitter. He tweeted, “It was a Mt Rushmore question. Shaquille, Kobe, Elgin, Kareem, Magic, West, Chamberlain, Mikan .. Bron needs more time and at least another chip to be considered on a LAKER MT RUSHMORE. I won’t speak for the man but I know he respects the Laker Legacy and that’s why he went there”.
It was a Mt Rushmore question. Shaquille, Kobe, Elgin, Kareem, Magic, West, Chamberlain, Mikan .. Bron needs more time and at least another chip to be considered on a LAKER MT RUSHMORE. I won’t speak for the man but I know he respects the Laker Legacy and that’s why he went there https://t.co/XbxgGHKAf9
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) August 13, 2022
Although it sounds harsh to remove LeBron from the elite Laker list, Richard is probably right if we think about it. He would admit it himself when we say he has more to achieve with the current Lakers team. However, whether he will win another ring with them is still unknown. Their recent seasons have been quite disappointing and they hired a new head coach in Darvin Ham to prevent the Lakers ship from sinking completely.